Toy.



J. LEXOW.

TOY.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 6, 1908.

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FIG. 2

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EDQM M T011101 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN LEXOW, OFTOMPKINSVILLE, NEW YQRK.

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Specification of Iietters Patent.

Patented Nov. 24, 1908.

Application filed February s, 1908. Serial No. 414,543.

To all :whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JoHN Lnxow, of

Tompkinsville, in the county of Richmond and State of New York, have invented a certain Toy, and do'hereby declare thatthe,

following is a fulland exact description thereof.

The object of my invention has been to prov de a toy which shall be adapted for playing the game known as basket-ball;

and to such ends my invention consists in the toy hereinafter specified.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1' a side elevation of a toyembodying my; inventlon; and Fig. 2 is a rear elevationof In carrymg my'invention into practice I provide a base A havinginea'rone end a-p'ost B, whose upper end carries a bracketG in the form of a'horizontal ring, the bracket being preferably formed of wire, and having its two ends embedded in the post. A basket G hangs, from the bracket C. A ball I) is provided and the object of the game is to throw the ball into the basket. is preferably secured by a cord E tothe base.

In order to throw the ball into the basket I provide the following mechanism. A

bracket F is secured to the base at or near.

the end opposite to the post, and such bracket preferably has a ve'rticalslot formed therein, in which is pivoted a lever Gfthe lever being pivoted on a pin H fastened on the bracket. The forward end of the lever is, in the particular embodiment chosenfor illustration, bent downwardto rest upon the base from which it rises to support. a cup I on its free end. The rear end of thell'ever has a surface K which is ada tedsto be struck by the finger, and has a tail L that is adapted to strike against some fixed object to stop the lever in a particular later described. either by a table uponwhich the base' rests, or, as I prefer, by a projection M extending rearward from the table, the projection pass-' ing through a slot in the bracket, and ablock N being fastened on top of said projection to'bear against the rear face of'the bracket. bracket to .be'made of'jwood, and yet to be firmly supported. The lever is preferably somewhat loose. upon its-pivot, for'a purpose to be described. j

The ball" osition'; as The lever mayv e arrested,

This construction permits the In the operation of my toy, the ball. is placed in the cup, and the lever is struck with the finger and depressed until its tail L is arrested. The ball is thrown up by this action, and, of course, continues its flight after the lever is stopped. The lever, the cup, the tail and the block N are so proportioned and positioned relative to each other.

that the lever is arrested while its arc of movement is directed forward as well as upward, thus causing the ball to be thrown in a general direction toward the basket; The ball will be thrown into the basket if'the lever is struck with just the requisite force, but no more, to cause its trajectory to pass into the basket, and if the lever is aimed right ina lateral direction. If the lever is struck too hard, the ball will pass over the basket, and if itis not struck hard enough'it will pass under it; a If the lever is swung to either side of a" line toward the basket as'is permitted by'its looseness on its pivot the ball will not enter-the basket.- There is thus enough skill required to make the game interesting,"

not tobe interesting. I have found by experiiIienLthat unless the lever'is arrested by "and yet not enough to make it so difficult as striking some fixed part, the difiicultyofthrowing-the ball into the basket is so great l as t'ojmake the game-almostamposslble,and therefore uninteresting. For 1nstance,i-f the leverbe not thus stopped, the ball may be thrown-straight up-into the-air, or it may be throumbackward over the lever inadirection away from the basket; Therefore, the-' arr'sting' of the lever by' its striking a fixed" stop isa' very important featureof the in- A 1. A toy, consisting of a base, asup' ort I 3 risingfrom said base, a basket carrie by said support, a bracket on said base, a 'hor1- 'zontal transverse pivot carried" by. said bracket, a lever mounted on sa1d p1vot, a

cup on the end of said lever nearest said support, a tail formed on the opposite end of said lever, and a stop so located as to arrest the lever while basket.

2. A toy, consisting of a'base, a support I rising from said base, a basket carried by sa1d support, a bracket on sa1d base, a llOIlzontal transverse p1vot carrled by said I bracket, a lever mounted on said pivot, the

the cup is moving toward the engagement between said lever and said In testimony that I claim the foregoing T bracket bein loose so as to permit lateral have hereunto set my hand. movement 0 the lever, a cup on the end of said lever nearest said supgort, a tail formed I JOHN LEXOW' 5 on the opposite end of sal 1ever,'and a stop Witnesses:

so located as to arrest the lever While the cup M. P. REINERs,

is moving toward the basket. ANNA NEWCOMB. 

